Shedding some light on the background, what were the main gaps you identified with your product strategy that made you consider revising it? How were they impacting your business and customers?

After joining the Visma family, the responsibility for our product strategy transitioned from our previous owner to our product management team. We quickly realised that we lacked a robust strategy, leading to inconsistencies in product development and customer engagement, which affected both our business and customers.

Aware of our limited experience in developing a cohesive product strategy, we were relieved and excited to find a workshop that offered the guidance and framework to address these gaps and refine our approach.

What data, insights or feedback did you gather to mend those gaps? Did something you realized during the sprint process stand out as particularly useful?

To address the identified gaps in our product strategy, we initially recognised the necessity for more comprehensive data about our customers and their segments. During the sprint process, we were able to gather additional data and insights, which proved invaluable. This process highlighted the importance of understanding our customer demographics and behaviours more deeply.

A key realisation during the sprint was the untapped potential for tailoring our products more closely to the specific needs and preferences of each segment, which stood out as particularly useful in refining our strategy.

What key decisions were made with regards to the product strategy during the Product Strategy Sprint, and why?

We decided to prioritise the development of our HRM Payroll, continue with the modernisation of our platform, and concentrate on strategic and data-driven development for specific customer segments.

More specifically, we identified significant business potential for our HRM Time module in the manufacturing industry. This focus allows us to allocate our resources and efforts more effectively towards areas with the greatest potential for impact and customer satisfaction. 

What would you say was the most important outcome of your Product Strategy Sprint?

The most significant outcome of our Product Strategy Sprint was establishing a solid foundation to continue to build our strategy on. But equally important was the realisation of the critical role data collection plays in enabling data-driven decision making and the need for us to focus more resources on that.

The sprint also helped us understand how important BPO providers are as a customer segment and the necessity to serve them better, ensuring they continue to find value in our offerings.

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Would you recommend Product Strategy Sprints to other companies?

Whether you're crafting a new product strategy from the ground up or looking to revisit and refine an existing one, the facilitated workshop approach is a great support. The structured sprint process allowed us to achieve progress that would not have been possible on our own, providing clarity, focus, and actionable insights.

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The Flex team saw the importance of setting a clear direction and focus with product strategy, and was willing to put in the work needed by, for example, getting the data needed to make the decisions. Setting product strategy is not a one-off exercise, but should rather be worked on and shaped continuously, so we’re more than happy with how the team took the deliverables of the sprint, and worked forward from them within the company and their board.

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